A pair of Sister Poles will soon keep watch at each end of the Highway of Tears, one in Prince George and one in Prince Rupert.
The Highway of Tears Commemoration and Healing Totem Pole series is a project initiated by families of women and girls missing and murdered along the remote stretch of Highway 16.
These twin poles are the latest to be added to the highway, joining a twenty-two-foot Grandmother Pole on Kitsumkalum Tsimshian territory near Terrace and a Brother pole planned for Smithers.
Each Sister Pole, carved by Mike Dangeli, will stand ten feet.
Organizers are hoping to raise enough funds for the first of the two by May.
Indigenous grassroots activist and project visionary Gladys Radek says the poles will cost about $34,000 each — the money covers materials, master carving, and an honorarium for a safe support person for families of those missing and murdered along the highway.
“It was closing a circle of the very long-awaited national inquiry for the missing and murdered women and girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals,” said Radek.
“I wanted a safe and beautiful place for families to commemorate and honor their lost loved ones along the highway. A safe space for healing their broken hearts.”
Radek became involved in advocacy work when her niece, Tamara Lynn Chapman, disappeared from Prince Rupert at the age of 22.
Chapman remains missing almost 16 years later.
For Radek, the poles are a way to commemorate those who were taken from the highway, and to honor the families who have worked to raise awareness on the issue.
“They can go and sit, they can pray, think about their loved ones. It’s just a friendly reminder that they are not alone,” she explained.
The project is in its early stages, but organizers are in talks with UNBC about the pole planned for Prince George.
They are also encouraging anyone interested in helping the cause to reach out to them.
A fundraiser for the two poles is currently underway, just over $2,000 out of the $68,000 target has been raised.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
